Parallel
by aithusia
Summary: Two soul reapers are sent to Cross Academy as students to stop the largest unbalance of spirit energy yet: the lost princess Kuran Yuki. Back in Soul Society, Aizen sets his plans in motion, and the Winter War will soon begin. Two enemies, two worlds, two soul reapers. The world must remain in equilibrium at all costs.


Chapter One: Mission Start

"We're here to register for our classes," Toshiro said. "We come as transfer students from Karakura Academy. A letter should have been received a month ago."

"Ah…" The receptionist, a creaky old lady, begins shuffling through one of many towers of paper that surround her. "Let me see," She pulls at a section of papers sticking out from a pile, coaxing them to be released from the stack, as if playing Jenga. The receptionist loses. The stack falls, but she acquires our papers.

"Here we are. Hitsugaya Toshiro and Ukitake Mihiro, third years in high school." After reading the rest of the forms to herself, she looks up from the papers, "I'm afraid you must see the headmaster about your classes. I do not hold the jurisdiction to place you."

"Thank you, miss." Toshiro turns on his heel and begins walking off.

"Do you know even where you're going, Toshiro?" I asked skeptically, falling in step with him. We arrived at Cross Academy just this morning, leaving no time to acquaint ourselves with the grounds.

"Yes, and that's Captain Hitsugaya to you." He passes me a glare.

"I can hardly address you as 'Captain' now that we're posing as students."

"Fine, Hitsugaya, then." Toshiro stops walking and looks around. We stood in a long hallway lined with gothic arches and paintings of random people. The floor interlocks in some sort of Celtic pattern. Thick wooden doors were everywhere, and numerous halls joined this one. We were lost.

"This is your fault," I muttered. "Completely _clueless_ as to how to get anywhere, yet you must pretend to save your ego," I feigned a hopeless sigh.

"Ukitake?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Are you lost?"

Our heads snapped to the voice. A tall, lean young man stood before us. He sported auburn hair, a white uniform, and an open book in one hand. His eyes were red.

I blinked quickly, hoping the color was a trick of my mind. When I looked again, his eyes were a lovely chocolate brown, kind and gentle. Still, the flash of red disturbed me.

"Yes, please." Toshiro answered. "We're looking for the headmaster's office."

The young man smiled, "This way, please."

When we reached the office, the young man followed us in. A healthy looking, middle-aged man with sandy blonde hair waited for us behind a cracked desk duck-taped together in the middle.

"Welcome, I am Cross Kaien, the school headmaster." His eyes wrinkled when he smiled.

"The receptionist told us to see you. You're the only one who can assign our class placement," Toshiro stated. Normally he would return the headmaster's welcome with some sort of polite response, but something bothered him. I glanced back at the auburn-haired man, who stood in the corner. He smiled lightly from his book. His eyes flashed red. I quickly returned listening to Toshiro's conversation.

"Ah, yes. I understand you are aware of my philosophy for this school, Hitsugaya-kun?" Cross's smile dropped. The headmaster hid his eyes behind the glare of his glasses.

"Yes," Toshiro answered indifferently. "This school serves as a peace contract between the vampires and humans that reside here."

"Indeed," The headmaster nodded, "And I understand one of you wishes to contribute to this philosophy?"

I sucked in a breath. Back in the Soul Society, the Head Captain ensured our places in the school classes were secured, but Toshiro knew better. After the briefing, he warned me not to comfort myself with my easier assignment as the 'noble', and his more difficult assignment as the 'pureblood'. It was likely our positions would be switched. Why Cross Academy, or the vampires here, really, would want to interfere with our mission was troubling.

"Miss Ukitake," The young man spoke from the corner, approaching the headmaster's desk. "You hail from a powerful pureblood family from the east. A long forgotten line."

I looked at Toshiro. Instantly, he suppressed his reiatsu tenfold, reinforcing the fabrication of our lies. Now his presence seemed as that of a noble vampire, or something around the level. But this was not supposed to happen. The Hitsugaya clan was supposed to be the long-lost pureblood line. _Toshiro_ was supposed to act as the pureblood. "Yes. I am the Ukitake clan's last heir."

"It is an honor to receive your presence here, Ukitake-san," The young man offered his hand, inviting me to place mine in his. I did so, and he lightly brushed his lips across my skin. Withdrawing my hand sooner than he expected, some sharpness scraped against my skin. I held in a gasp, staring warily at the young man. Toshiro and the headmaster did not seem to notice anything amiss.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself," The young man distanced himself from me. "I am Kuran Kaname, the co-founder of this school and its philosophy. It is an honor to receive you both, Ukitake-san, and Hitsugaya-san."

Toshiro and I bowed our heads quickly. The formalities wrapped up, and Kuran led us to the vampire dorms, or the Moon Dorms. Tall doors opened to reveal an opening room transformed living room. The lavish furniture was void of people, and the double marbled staircases echoed our footsteps as we entered.

"You will be rooming separately, and you will have adjoining rooms, seeing as you are close with each other," Kuran smiled. "Please respect the headmaster's rule and refrain from consuming human blood on campus." Toshiro and I shared a glance."Your belongings are already in your rooms. Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you." Toshiro dismissed Kuran. He looked at us both and then left. Toshiro and I unpacked, later joining for a meeting in my room. We sat on the floor, Toshiro cross-legged and I on my stomach, head resting on my arms, legs bent and folded at the ankles. For extra measures, Toshiro place an anti-eavesdropping kido spell on the room.

"So they believe us?" I began incredulously.

"You should be grateful, not questioning. It is a miracle the pureblood did not question our arrival."

"You're so solemn, Toshiro. Lighten up." I threw a pencil at his head. Being disappointing and un-fun as usual, Toshiro caught it.

"Hitsugaya," He glared. Maintaining a 'mature' disposition, Toshiro threw the pencil and hit me in the head.

"Now I'm never going to call you that." I frowned. "Besides, I've never called you Hitsugaya. It'd be weird to start now," I reasoned.

"Do you think the pureblood noticed when I suppressed my reiatsu?" Toshiro changed the subject.

"Probably," I said. Toshiro's eyes widened a fraction. "But at least he thinks we're actually vampires. It's ridiculously non-sensical—don't look at me like that, it's a word— that our reiatsu levels serve as a parallel to vampire auras. You'd think vampires could tell each other apart by smelling their blood, or something." I spun a pencil around my thumb. "Though it's funny that third-seat and up spirit energy levels serve as 'pureblood' auras here."

"I suppose. And to answer your question, the vampires are unaware of the soul reaper's role in the world." Hitsugaya opened a pocky box and began munching. "And I believe vampires _can_ discern their kind from blood scents."

"So why doesn't our blood smell human?"

"The reiatsu parallel prevents the mistake. Our blood is saturated with our spiritual energy. I don't understand why a vampire's mind interprets spirit energy as vampire auras, but we're lucky. Be thankful." Hitsugaya stood and stretched, and a few joints cracked.

"You're forgetting the reiatsu parallel puts us at a disadvantage as well. Captain Kuro said our blood would smell 'ten times as tantalizing as that of a pureblood's'. And don't crack your joints, it sounds gross." I frowned in disgust.

"Then don't let yourself be caught by a blood-thirsty vampire. I'm going to bed." Hitsugaya made for the door to his room.

"It's lunch time, Toshiro."

"We must adjust to a nocturnal schedule, remember?" Toshiro smirked. I groaned; I had completely forgotten. Resignedly, I crawled into my bed, preparing for a sleepless 'night'.

Toshiro almost shut the door before saying, "Ukitake?"

"Yes?"

"Keep in mind I'll be crossing the realms frequently to check in with the Head Captain and Matsumoto." I nodded from under the covers. "Ukitake," Hitsugaya spoke louder to get my full attention.

I emerged from under the blankets and glared at him. "What?" I said testily.

"I won't be here with you all the time. Probably more often than not, you will be on your own in this mission. Be careful." And with that Toshiro shut the door.

Toshiro wasn't in his room later that evening. The heavy drapes were pushed aside and the window was open, allowing the stars to illuminate the otherwise dark room. Toshiro left a note on his neatly made-up bed. It looked untouched. The note said he had departed for the Soul Society, and did not say when he would return. Using my spirit energy, I conjured a flame in my hand, burning the note. I was alone.


End file.
